Dallas County sheriff's academy worst in state in 2013, could have license revoked

A state agency has rated the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department’s training academy “at risk” after 20 of its 27 cadets failed a basic licensing exam in the 2013 fiscal year.

The Texas Commission on Law Enforcement rating, first disclosed by KXAS-TV (NBC5), means the academy could have its license revoked if it doesn’t show signs of improvement. The department says it has already implemented measures to avoid that.

Carmen Castro, a spokeswoman for the sheriff’s office, said the academy had two classes in 2013 that contributed to the bad results. She cited a lack of job openings in the department as a possible reason. That may have caused morale to be low, she said, and the applicants may not have seen the point in trying to pass the exam.

Castro said the academy is making it clear to recruits that they will be placed on a waiting list if no jobs are available.

The academy is based at El Centro College’s Bill J. Priest Institute. It provides training to potential jailers, sheriff’s deputies, constables and police officers in some of Dallas County’s smaller cities.

NBC5 reported Thursday night that, based on commission records, every police academy in Texas had a passing rate last year, except Dallas County, which had the state's worst percentage.

“They need to know that if they don’t get this rectified, and they don’t fix this, there will be no Dallas Sheriff’s Office Academy,” Kim Vickers, executive director for the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement, told the station.

Officials from the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement didn’t return messages seeking comment Thursday afternoon. The agency tracks the passing rates of academies on a three-year rolling average. Dallas County had an 86 percent passing rate in 2011 and a 100 percent rating in 2012.

But 2013’s problems knocked the average down to 61 percent. Any academy with a rating below 80 percent receives “at-risk” status, according to the agency’s annual report.

Given the poor performance in 2013, it may take a couple of years to lose the “at-risk” designation, Castro said. But she said she believes the problem has been remedied. The academy has had two classes this year. The first class passed the 80 percent threshold, she said. Another class will take the exam in June.

“We have certainly taken the steps to ensure that we don’t fall below again,” she said.

Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez told NBC5 that even though the report on last year’s classes was issued in November, she’s only recently learned about the issue. Valdez said her staff never told her that the state might shut down the academy.

The sheriff said she had not determined whether she will take disciplinary action for the poor performance or lack of communication.

To post a comment, log into your chosen social network and then add your comment below. Your comments are subject to our Terms of Service and the privacy policy and terms of service of your social network. If you do not want to comment with a social network, please consider writing a letter to the editor.